Department of Energy (DOE)

Department of Energy (DOE)

Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA)

November 2, 2017

Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) between private industry and a federal lab are used to perform cooperative and mutually beneficial R&D to commercialize new technologies. Each party may provide personnel, services, facilities, and equipment, but the government is not permitted to provide direct funding to the CRADA partner. Rights to inventions and IP are negotiated as part of the agreement, and can be shared jointly or negotiated to provide for exclusivity.